Clouds, Fireworks, and Stars
by Vanilla Blue Sky
Summary: What sort of events will come out of Shikamaru and Ino laying in the grass 'together'.


Clouds, Fireworks, and Stars

"So . . . . why are we here again?"

"'We' are not 'here', 'I' am 'here', and 'you' are just . . . here."

"Because that makes sooo much sense." She sighed."Ok, fine. If I'm 'just' here, than what are you doing 'here'?"

"I am here doing the exact same thing I do almost every day, for the exact same reason."

"Oh, and what would that reason be pray tell?"

"To get away form you."

"Ha ha very funny! How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"All of one second. Why?"

"Oh please don't give me that Shikamaru, I know you've been waiting forever for the right moment to use that one line."

"Fine. Well then Ino, what would have been a better line? Since you seem so well informed on what is, and what isn't, a good line." Shikamaru asked smartly.

"Well . . . I can't thin of something on the spot like this. But I'm sure that if I were in that situation, a line would come to me 'naturally'." Ino replied indignantly.

Shikamaru just looked at her lazily, gave a shrug, and turned back to look at the clouds sailing silently across the sky.

Ino gave a little 'humph' and turned to lay on her stomach. Moments later, after Ino got comfortable and had closed her eyes, Shikamaru asked "So , you prefer to look at the grass rather then the clouds?"

"No," She replied without opening her eyes. "I prefer to look at the inside of my eyelids. But that, my dear friend, is a whole other story, which I am too tired to tell at the moment."

"How can you be tired?" Shikamaru asked. "Its only one-o'clock in the afternoon."

"Well you would be tired too, if you had training at five in the morning till eleven-o'clock. But you wouldn't know that would you, because you came to training at seven and left an hour early, you lazy ass." Ino replied tartly.

"And just a moment ago I was 'dear friend', now I am 'you lazy ass'. There is quite a large difference between the two, don't you think?" Shikamaru spoke laughingly.

"Do you not see that I am trying . . ."

"Unsuccessfully." Shikamaru interrupted.

"To get some rest? Now. You are not helping me any." Ino complained. "Five years ago, when we first became a team, I could not, for the love of God, get you to say anything other than 'troublesome'. Now you won't shut up when I need you to."

"Well Sweet Pea, five years is a long time to work on my social skills. I seem o have done quite well if I do say so myself." Shikamaru stated.

"Please don't. You have said too much already." Ino then paused. "Did you call me Sweet Pea?"

"I did actually. I don't normally like sweet peas, but I will make an exception to the name. It does have a nice ring to it." He cheerfully stated.

"Why though?"

"Well you gave me so any nicknames like 'dear friend' and 'lazy ass' so I decided to give one to you. Although I must say, my name for you does sound a lot better then the last one you gave me."

'It sounds more like a lovers pet name then anything else.' Ino thought silently.

Ino had decided against saying this thought out loud, thinking that Shikamaru might not take to kindly to this being pointed out and then change the name. 'I don't really know how he would react, he has been awfully cheerful today. And besides, I kind of like the name too.' she thought again.

Shikamarud did in fact, know how this name sounded and wanted to see what Ino's reaction to it would be. And although she did not voice her thoughts on the subject, her face showed a range of emotons starting with surprise and ending with consideration.

"Okay, whatever, I'm going bake to sleep." Ino voiced.

Now this surprised Shikamaru. He was expecting her to be upset, even just a little. I mean he gave her a lovers pet name and her a lovers pet name and they were most definitely not lovers. This was odd. It took a minute but Shikamaru eventually stopped contemplating the inner-workings of Ino's brain. Shikamaru's eyes returned to the fluffy white clouds. But he soon realized that there was something quite a bit more interesting then the clouds. That something was a person, or to be more precise, Ino. 'Well actually,' he thought to himself, 'its really more her hair that just her.'

His eyes moved back to Ino without his permission (although he secretly thanked them) and rested on her long silvery-gold locks. His hand closest to Ino involuntarily twitched, wanting to brush away a clump of hair that had fallen over her face. He mentally chided himself for even thinking she would let him tough her that way. All he had ever heard from Ino in the past five years was about Sasuke. Although, now that he thought about it, in the last year or so he he had heard less and less about Sasuke.

Although he did not know it, Shikamaru was, in fact, right about hearing less about Sasuke. Ever since Sasuke had come home a little over two years ago (he had gotten together with Sakura and they seemed really happy together) Ino found she was not interested in him anymore. Ino was, in truth, too busy to worry over a guy who would never return her old affections (over the past four years she had been working to become an ANBU, as was Shikamaru), although she seemed to be doing that allover again anyway, just with a different guy. But if this new nickname meant anything (and she really hoped it did) then there may be some hope for her after all.

Shikamaru relaxed into his thinking of Ino. Her hair, with its silky blondness, and her nose, the way it scrunched up when she didn't like something. He though of her body, the way he had watched her grow up in a sense. She had grown curves where there had been none five years ago. He though of the way her back curved as she lay, stomach down, on the grass. But mostly Shikamaru thought of her eyes. The icy aquamarine pools that showed her every emotion, no matter how impassive her face might be. Her eyes were what drew him in, what captivated him, what saved him from the insanity of trying to figure out what she was thinking.

'What are you staring at Shinka-kun?" Ino asked without opening her eyes.

"You, actually."

"Oh really, and am I more interesting then the clouds?" Ino inquired, refering to his earlied question about the grass.

"Yes, surprisingly so."

"I'm going to ignore the last two thirds of that statement and take it as a compliment. If that's alright with you."

Shikamaru rolled onto his side, letting his hand and arm support his head, and faced Ino. Ino's sleepy eyes opened, she blinked a few times, trying to wake up. Her eyelashes were long enough that they touched her cheeks when she blinked. "You know, staring can be considered very rude?"

"I know that, but my eyes don't care about rudeness it seems."


End file.
